Torch Relay Commemorative Photography × Ultra-realistic Communication Technology Kirari!

Due to the spread of COVID-19, the number of people who experienced the exhibits was less than planned. Nevertheless, we were able to deliver surprises and smiles to the participants at the venues where we could provide the experiences. We believe that these interactions with the advanced technologies of our laboratories, which are not normally accessible to the public, enabled many people to experience firsthand NTT's innovativeness. Going forward, we will continue to work on creating new experiences using ICT and connect people with each other. © 2022 Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.. All rights reserved.

INITIAL ANALYSIS ACTIVITY OF HAYABUSA2-RETURNED SAMPLES FROM C-TYPE NEAREARTH ASTEROID (162173) RYUGU

Introduction: The JAXA's asteroid explorer Hayabusa2 investigated Cb-type near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu from June 2018 to November 2019 [e.g., 1-3], during which the spacecraft made two touchdown operations onto the asteroid surface for sample collection with projectile shooting [4-8]. The spacecraft returned its reentry capsule to the Earth on December 6, 2020 [8, 9]. The mass of the returned samples was ~5 grams in total;~3 grams from the first touchdown site and ~2 grams from the second touchdown site [9]. At Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), JAXA, particles larger than ~1 mm in size were individually photographed, weighed, and investigated spectroscopically inside the nitrogen-filled chamber system. Particles < 1mm were inspected in a sample dish as bulk aggregates. The initial characterization phase of the returned sample shows that it well represents the finding from spacecraft investigation of the asteroid surface [8-10]. Initial Analysis: After the first six-month of initial description at ISAS, ~300 mg of returned samples (~6 % of total mass) were allocated to the Hayabusa2 initial analysis team in June 2021 for one-year priority analysis led by the Hayabusa2 mission [11]. The number of allocated particles larger than 1 mm were 11 from the first touchdown site (Chamber A grains) and 11 from the second touchdown site (Chamber C grains). Ten sets of aggregate samples, consisting of particles smaller than 1 mm, were also allocated (5 from Chamber A and 5 from Chamber C). To characterize the Ryugu sample and to maximize the science output of the Hayabusa2 mission, the initial analysis team consisted of six sub-teams: Chemistry [12], Mineralogy and Petrology for coarse grains [13], Mineralogy and Petrology for fine grains [14], Volatiles [15], Macromolecular Organics [16], and Soluble Organic Matter [17]. The overall analysis activity went smoothly thanks to the dedication and hard work of the team in spite of challenges presented by a lack of in-person communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. What is Ryugu? All the results from the initial analysis are interpreted to support the hypothesis that Ryugu comes from a parent body of the most chemically primitive CI chondrites (least fractionated from the Sun's elemental abundance) [12-17]. Ryugu's volatile and organic contents are highest compared to the meteorites in our collections except for micrometeorites and interplanetary dust particles [15-17]. Because C-type asteroids are a major group of asteroids, the close relation of Ryugu to the rarest type of chondrites (CI) suggests that the Earth's atmosphere works an effective filter for the influx of fragile meteorites, resulting in a biased sampling of meteorites on the ground. A notable mineralogical difference of Ryugu samples from CI chondrites [12-14] indicates that all CI chondrites recovered on Earth experienced significant terrestrial weathering since their fall. The Hayabusa spacecraft retuned surface particles from S-type asteroid (25143) Itokawa in 2010, which was found to be a parent body of equilibrated LL ordinary chondrites [18, 19]. Therefore S-type asteroids and C-type asteroids are likely to be composed of the non-carbonaceous (NC) and carbonaceous chondrite (CC) group materials, representing isotopically dichotomous components in the early Solar System [20]. Coexistence of S- and C-type asteroids in the present main belt thus requires small body migration in the (early) Solar System, likely caused by migration of giant planets [21]. Comparison of Ryugu samples with the sample from B-type asteroid (101955) Bennu [22] will further constrain the dynamical and chemical evolution of small bodies and the (early) Solar System. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Meteoritics & Planetary Science is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

A Proposal for One-Stop Contact Points for Student Support in Remote Teaching/Learning at University during COVID-19 Crisis by Institutional Research

In 2020, because of the COVID-19 crisis, remote teaching/learning (RTA) has been implemented simultaneously in higher education institutions across Japan. At that time, there were many faculty members belonging to these institutions who were using RTA for the first time. The majority of faculty members noticed the advantages or disadvantages of RTA from their own experiences;and from student opinions who have experienced RTA, we find insights to successfully implement RTA. Efforts to improve the quality of RTA was the main focus of our response to the recent situation;the new status quo will continue until a vaccine is widely available. However, once the situation turns around and classes return to normal, we believe that we will see a search for more effective teaching practices that take advantage of the characteristics of both face-to-face classes and RTA. It would be effective to set up a one-stop contact point for student support (naming OSCPSS) for a certain period of time until the students become familiar with the new method. This is one of the easiest ways for universities to keep students motivated to learn and get the most out of the new educational methods. © 2021 IEEE.

School Coping with Covid-19 Pandemic: Initial Analyses of Nationwide Surveys Targeting Elementary and Lower Secondary Schools in Japan

This article explores impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on elementary and junior high schools in Japan through preliminary analyses of nation-wide surveys conducted under the commission of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). After explaining the outline of the research project, this paper elucidates outcomes of preliminary analyses of the first wave of the school survey. The analyses reveal that over the school closure period in 2020, schools identified communication difficulties between teachers and students and their parents as well as those between students in each school. Although those communication problems were substantially mitigated in most schools after the end of school closure, the increasing workload of teachers has been realized as a serious problem since the reopening of schools to date. Whereas the similar patterns in problem recognition were observed, those communication problems are more seriously recognized in the three major metropolitan areas than in the other regions, despite that the same problems occurred in any regions to some extent. The paper concludes that results of the comprehensive research are highly expected to provide meaningful empirical evidence for policy making for the central and local governments to support schools and students under the pandemic. © 2021 Japanese Association for Mathematical Sociology. All rights reserved.

Biogeochemical and physical linkages between the Arctic Ocean and Sub-Arctic Pacific through marginal seas

Memorial addresses for Mr. Alexey Fedorovich Shcherbinin and Captain Evgeniy Anikovich Sklizkov Mr. Alexey Fedorovich Shcherbinin (who belonged to the Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute, in Russia) passed away on 27 Nov. 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Shcherbinin was a great and respectful person who worked hard to make our re-searchers active in the field through the many research expeditions and international projects conducted thus far, including many Russian and Japanese collaborations. He was a man of the sea who knew the ocean better than anyone else, and he always led us on expeditions to under-stand the ocean with kindness and warmness. We lost another dear friend, the captain Evgeniy Anikovich Sklizkov (who belonged to the Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute, in Russia). He passed away on 30 Oct. 2018 after the Mu18 expedition. He took us out on the Go11, Mu14, and Mu18 expe-ditions. Without him, we would not have been able to carry out any of our scientific expeditions. He was always calm and collected and made sure that our expeditions were successful. He was also a great leader and a man of the sea who treated us with kindness and warmness. Their professional leadership of scientists and crews during numerous overseas expeditions are deeply engraved in the minds of many researchers. Jun Nishioka, Ichiro Yasuda, Kay I. Ohshima, M. Wakatsuchi, Yuri N. Volkov and all researcher who joined previous Russian and Japanese collaborative expeditions express here our deepest condolences to these men and dedicate this special issue to them to be listed among their achievements.

Jinhua Qinggan granule, a Chinese herbal medicine against COVID-19, induces rapid changes in the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and plasma levels of IL-6 and IFN-γ: An open-label, single-arm pilot study

Traditional Chinese herbal medicine has provided clinical benefits to patients infected with coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in China. Jinhua Qinggan granule (JHQGG) is a Chinese multi-herbal formula previously developed for the treatment of H1N1 influenza and has been encouraged for use in patients with clinically suspected COVID-19 infection. However, the immunopharmacological mechanism for the efficacy of JHQGG has not yet been confirmed. To obtain insight into this issue, the present study examined the acute effects of JHQGG ingestion on hematological and immunological parameters using uninfected individuals as subjects. For this purpose, 18 healthy volunteers were enrolled, all of whom tested negative for prior and current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Peripheral blood samples were collected 1 h after a single oral JHQGG administration and subjected to hematological, biochemical and cytokine tests. JHQGG rapidly induced a significant decrease in the plasma level of interleukin (IL)-6 (P=0.00309) and an increase in the plasma level of interferon (IFN)-γ (P=0.0268). A decrease in IL-6 and an increase in IFN-γ levels were observed in 14 (77.8%) and 13 (72.2%) subjects, respectively. Notably, JHQGG significantly decreased the proportion of neutrophils (P=0.00561) and increased that of lymphocytes (P=0.00485);accordingly, the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was significantly reduced by JHQGG (P=0.00649). These findings suggest that the clinical benefits of the use of JHQGG against COVID-19 are, at least in part, associated with its rapid modulatory effects on IL-6, IFN-γ and NLR. Considering that IL-6 and NLR are critical biomarkers for severe COVID-19 infection, JHQGG may thus be suitable not only for suppressing disease onset in suspected and asymptomatic cases, but also for preventing disease progression in patients with mild to severe infection. The present open-label, single-arm study has been prospectively registered on the University Hospital Medical Information Network-Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) under the trial no. UMIN000040407 on May 15, 2020. Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Qingfei Paidu decoction, a Chinese herbal medicine against COVID-19, elevates the blood levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines: An open-label, single-arm pilot study

Qingfei Paidu decoction (QFPD) is a Chinese herbal medicine newly formulated for the treatment of COVID-19. QFPD significantly enhances the therapeutic effects of stan- dard pharmacotherapy in mild to critically ill patients with COVID-19. However, limited information is available on the immunological mechanisms underlying the efficacy of QFPD. In addition, the feasibility of the prophylactic administration of QFPD to uninfected individuals remains unconfirmed. To obtain insight into these issues, an open-label, single-arm pilot study was conducted using 19 healthy uninfected individuals as subjects, and the effects of QFPD ingestion at a dose lower than that recommended for therapeutic use on hematological and immunological parameters were examined. QFPD was prepared according to the Chinese official clinical guideline, except that the dose of each herb was reduced to 1/30 and administered orally to the participants twice daily for 3 days. Low-dose QFPD ingestion significantly increased the plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (P=0.000107), interleukin (IL)-1β (P=0.000982), IL-18 (P=0.00105), IL-2 (P=0.0483) and IL-8 (P=0.000191), key mediators of a broad spectrum of antiviral immunity. No apparent adverse effects were observed during the trial. These findings suggest that the clinical efficacy of QFPD against COVID-19 is, at least in part, associated with its immunological activity to mimic the blood cytokine environ- ment produced by early antiviral immune responses, which are shown to be profoundly suppressed during the early stages of COVID-19. The daily ingestion of low-dose QFPD may thus be a possible option for the prevention of COVID-19 during the epidemic. The present study was prospectively registered at the University Hospital Medical Information Network-Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) under the trial no. UMIN000040341 on May 9, 2020. © 2021 Spandidos Publications. All rights reserved.

Human-in-the-Loop Business Modelling for Emergent External Factors

In the face of emergent external factors (e.g., supply chain disruptions or public health crises like COVID-19), businesses must adapt their business model quickly in order to ensure service continuity. However, providing recommendations regarding changes should be made to the business model is a challenging problem. First, it requires details of interactions between different components of the business (e.g., service offerings, inventory, staffing, demand) to understand what possible courses of action will have the most business impact. Second, automated models may provide recommendations on changes required in the business operations. However, with lack of human insight, it will be hard to verify the feasibility of these recommendations. Third, a generic model may not be able to provide good recommendations for diverse set of business models. Fourth, the model may not have enough features or training data to provide good recommendations.In this paper, we propose a novel approach to provide actionable items that can be recommended to business users given their business features and recommendations given to businesses in similar domain. Here we first use clustering to find the business domain and similar feature set of the domain. Then, we build a machine-learning model with explainable insights to provide recommendations on different business actions that can be taken to ensure business operations in the face of emergent external factors. Next we augment our approach with human-in-the-loop to improve its performance. Finally, we federate the machine-learning model in a similar domain to add more explainable and trusted insights and recommendations by other businesses. We describe our method, illustrate its utility with results from our implementation, and discuss areas for future work. © 2020 IEEE.